"CANT TERMS."

NZ Truth, Issue 264, 16 July 1910, Page 4

"CANT TERMS."

4, Attention has recently been drawn to "cant terms" by the utterance of one or the leading clerics of New South Wales. Cant terms have played a vory important I part m history, and, as a rule, the term j itself had an accidental birth, and m its childhood circulated usually as a token ot reproach, but at last became current coin m the realm of Language. ' Politically we have m the English language, ami of P ui 'e ! English origin,' such terms as Kouminea-a, Barcbones, Rump Parliament, an f l many others of the Commonwealth period. Cabal, Puritan, Methodist, Jacobite, followed, and even m the lowest scale of society we find the Peeler and the Boteby. jA'll these words, like little systems, have j had their day. But it has been well j pointed out that their uses have been great m a historic sense. , A cant word j was at first welcomed as a term luckily invented or revived ; its odd peculiarity had given to it an advantage as a proper name among the lumber or common names. "Puritan," for instance, is shorter to pronounce than a "sanctimonious pretender" or a "demure hypocrite." Often, too, it is effective m the mouth of thedullest. But perhaps . the most noteworthy of all cant terms originatly used to fasten contempt and opprobrium on a person or party is that of "Christian." There is considerable difference of opinion among ecclesiastical historians and commentators as to the origin of the term. Whether it was first coined by the Antioch Christian Gentiles, or given to the members of' the Autiochene brotherhood by tho Jews or the "Romans has been a question of debate, and no satisfactory reply can be given. But perhaps the most probable explanation is that the term is one of . Latin origin, Christranus. The Jews, always described the hated sect of schismatics as Nazarmes ; and the members of the churches speak of themselves as "Brethren*" or "Of the Way," or j "They that believed." The word Christian is only used three times m the JNew Testament," and the weight of opinion, for there is very little evidence to lead to a decision, is that the term originally was given as a "nickname and term of reproach and contempt to the JSazarene Jews by the Romans." Anyway, cant terms have been defined as terms possessing a satiric smartness m themselves, though there be non« m 1/he man. using them, and they, 'therefore, are the more useful helping a fool to give utterance lohis folly and attract attention to hrmj self through the use of the cant word.